Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THESIS PROPOSAL
Thesis proposals are typically 20-25 pages. Section order may vary, and individual students will make these decisions in consultation with their full Thesis Advisory Committee. Section headings should follow a logical, consistent format. In some cases, Sections 2 and 3 may be in the reverse order, or Sections 4 and 5 may be in the reverse order if that makes the proposal flow better. The following is a brief synopsis of what is typically expected in each section of the thesis proposal:
studied (the issues there, etc.) and Little Haiti (the geography, demography, etc.). Or the context section may focus on a particular issue. Yet another example would be in a study on interventions in the child soldier issue, the context section might focus on describing the child soldier issue while the theory section would focus on theories of (a) ethnic conflict, (b) child development and violence, and (c) international organizations. The concluding paragraph of the section emphasizes the significance of the research context and site and transitions logically into the next section.
SECTION 2: Context
The context section begins with an introductory paragraph that orients the reader to what will be covered in this section. This section describes the context or site or topic area where the study occurs. For example, in a study of women peacemakers in Northern Ireland, the context section would cover the Northern Ireland conflict. Another example would be in a study about introducing a new school curriculum in Little Haiti, this section would discuss the school
The theoretical background must review the major relevant works and display a thorough understanding of the relevant theory. The number of references listed can vary, but a good rule of thumb is that references should number 60 to 200. Importantly, references should be up-to-date, with the majority of references within the past ten years. The concluding paragraph(s) of the section should integrate the previous sections and indicate how this study will address unanswered theoretical concerns, and/or indicate the significance of the theory to the thesis project.
projective tests, narrative methods, autoethnography, etc.) may require some description and theoretical support. A concluding paragraph summarizes the section and transitions to the next section.
SECTION 4: Methodology
Provide an introduction to the section that orients the reader to what will be discussed in this section. Describe in detail the procedure used: Participants (who they are and where they are located; why this group of participants is selected for the study; how participants will be selected; how access will be obtained; ethical concerns such as confidentiality; when and how often participants will be met with). Note: Potential risks and benefits to participants should be discussed (even if the risks are minimal). Role of the researcher (what posture you will take as researcher, e.g., participant-observer or independent interviewer; how these roles fit with the research questions and theoretical framework; your prior experience that may be relevant and the significance of that to the study, e.g., in terms of researcher bias) Data gathering or data generation techniques (detailed rationale and description of how data will be gathered) Data analysis (description of and rationale for the data analysis process) Time-line for study Rationale for methodology Sometimes, there is an additional body of theory that is relevant to the methodology. For example, a particular type of methodology (e.g., semi-